HawK

Should stick Bruce on a central pole. Hog roast.

They both reportedly questioned his tactics/methods.

Seen more movement in defensive shape from the mannequins in a Debenhams window-display during lockdown.

Shelvey and Hayden are so deep when Willock went to press and the ball came back to us from their keeper, they were still near our penalty area. Pardew-esque that.

We look like we're light years behind Brighton, state of our club.

Seems fair and proportionate, I concur.

Great news. Any involvement from Dave behind the scenes or is he still in self-imposed exile?

I'd like to have seen him bother his arse for the team he was in What, like Liverpool? Newcastle obviously I thought Wijnaldum started off very well, clearly a very good player, but probably lost enthusiasm as the season wore on under McLaren. Thauvin was also obviously a better player than he showed at the time as well. Like I said, would like to have seen some of these players under a decent manager with a constructive buying policy. He was there for the end of the season under Rafa as well and was so bad that Rafa dropped him for the crucial games I wrote a post that analysed every goal he scored in the 10-goal season, they were all inconsequential and mostly only when we were on TV. He really didn't care at all, and it showed.

Woodgate and Hamann. Probably 2 of the best players that have played for us in the PL era, and both for such a short time.

Bodes well

He really needs to be kept as busy as possible, and away from the drudgery of day to day life, if he's to live much longer at all imo. I think he needs a purpose. Would be good if he could get some production people around him and front a series of sorts, maybe a Netflix biography, or some positive venture where he talks to kids/adults that have fallen off the footballing wagon at various ages and how they've gotten on with their lives since. Just don't want him to kill himself (indirectly) through idle drink and drugs when there could be something for him to live for.

We didn't sack Rafa, we just let him walk away.....not sure which one is worst How often do clubs let managers' contracts expire to go to other domestic clubs? Never. Literally, never. The only time a contract for a manager has wound down for them to then exit has been retirement. Wenger, Ferguson and to a lesser extend Gradi (who kept dipping back in from a technical director position at Crewe) are the only ones I can think of domestically. I don't think this aberration of a decision (to not comply with Rafa's request for club funds to be spent as he directed and thus renew his contract) got enough coverage at the time and is the single most damning indictment of the whole Ashley tenure imo, and that includes the Keegan tribunal, the ghosting of Shearer post relegation and the Joelinton signing.

Enrique was far superior by any metric tbh.

Hislop - Trinidad & Tobago Hughes - Northern Ireland Albert - Belgium Woodgate - England Enrique - Spain Solano - Peru Hamann - Germany Speed - Wales Robert - France Kluivert - Holland Ba - Senegal

Aye

I looked this up, apparently the earliest time this was used as a term on this forum was to reference Kieron Dyer not bothering to earn his money, courtesy of user '2sheds' in 2007: https://www.newcastle-online.org/forum/index.php?topic=43352.msg940653#msg940653

That sounds interesting. Of course, it should be Fernandez, Lejeuen and Schar, but it'll never happen.

I think he's one of the best tacklers in the league, alongside Hayden. He's like a deer in the headlights on the ball though, has no guile and a poor first touch, means his only option 95% of the time it to dump it long up the left wing and hope for the best when under pressure. If he could just learn to look where Shelvey/someone is near him before he receives the ball, he'd have an idea what to do with it. Off the ball defensively he's actually quality imo. Agree he's our best option at the moment, but he'd be really limiting in any kind of team that plays a high-line due to his lack of on-ball composure, but in this team it really doesn't matter sadly

Was Slimani a record signing for Leicester at the time ?

With the greatest respect to Sheffield United, the fact that we are below them in that table is absolutely criminal.

It's probably a discussion for a different thread but surely the balance of power has now firmly swing towards players? With the short tenure of managers, unless you're managed by Pep or Klopp you know that they will eventually be sacked at some point and you will outlast them. Gone are the days of Ferguson. Absolutely. It's remarkable to me how most clubs don't understand that short-termism of managers must be detrimental in the longer term in my opinion. If a player knows if push comes to shove, it's the manager out the door before the player, then what is the ultimate consequence for the player to do what he wants, rather than what the manager wants? I think this is why clubs like Burnley, with Dyche at the helm, consistently punch above their weight, because the players know if they don't buy in, they'll be gone, and they all know exactly what they're walking into when they get there. Sure, a short-term boost from a new manager with players keen to impress is always welcome, but after the inevitable wearing off of the honeymoon, it's back to status quo with players just not caring. Of course this all hinges on initially hiring a capable manager with a long-term outlook that's on the same page as the club to begin with before anyone says I'm saying we stick with Bruce

Might be worth making an Amanda Staveley thread to separate this sort of discussion out though, as I agree it's not inextricably linked with the potential takeover.

To be honest, I've always taken news of dressing room 'home truths' and calling each other out as an indictment against the manager. It shouldn't be down to the players to manage themselves. There should be someone employed by the club to manage them... Hughton did well for us, I've always liked him, and the thumping of Villa on our return will always be a high-point in my memories of him as our manager, but the way that the 'player committee' formed with Harper, Nolan etc. never sat well with me as a positive reflection on Hughton as a capable manager.